Guangzhou is a world commercial center, and a shopping paradise.

It is the most important Commodity distribution center in south China. Worldwide brand-name commodities in complete categories can be found here. Fashionable dress, jewelry, watches, cosmetics, computer and electronic goods, photographing apparatus, sports goods, stationery, fashionable playthings, curios, arts and crafts, medicines and herbs, sea products and other endless goods will meet the different demands of visitors worldwide.

Guangzhou has some department stores and shopping malls that get most of its stock direct from Hong Kong. Shops open around 9.00am and close anywhere from 6.00pm to 10.00p.m. Actual hours depend on the nature of the business. Shops in areas frequented by tourists may open earlier.

The best thing about shopping in Guangzhou is browsing the weird and wonderful collection of animals, food and medicines in Qingping Market. The rugged and rough side to this city is open for everyone to see here, just make sure you hold your nose if you visit in the summer!

If this is all a bit too authentic for you, there are some great little boutiques to be found on Shamian Island and Beijing Lu. Guangdong is famous for its exquisite Embroidery which can also be found at some of the good night markets on Xinhu Lu or Jiaoyue Road.

Bargaining

Bargaining is generally not possible in department stores, but asks for a discount when purchasing expensive items with cash, such as electrical appliances and jewellery. Prices can fluctuate wildly from shop to shop. Bargaining is usually possible and often expected in smaller shops, particularly where items are not visibly priced. Food stallholders usually charge fixed prices.

Bargaining requires time and patience – most vendors have plenty of both and will appreciate your efforts if you are genuinely interested in buying and can maintain a sense of humor in the process. If you can speak just a few words of Chinese, such as numbers, you will enjoy the experience a lot more and often get a better deal.

In China it is possible, if not expected, to bargain in open markets and other shopping areas where prices are not already clearly marked. The goal always is to pay the local price, not the foreigner price. The only important rule is to be polite. It is perfectly fine to ask for a discount, but do it with a smile. While some would see a tough attitude as the key to a cheap price, it usually backfires with the “face” conscious Chinese and you end up not getting the best price. Remember that no vendor will sell you a product at a loss!

Means of Payment

Cash in Chinese RMB is preferred. Luxury restaurants, large department stores and star hotel accept credit cards, but it is wise to check first in the case of traditional Chinese establishments.

Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are readily available in Guangzhou to use VISA, MasterCard, Dinners Club and other international banking systems.

Tips

Most restaurants and pubs include a service charge in the listed price, so tipping is not necessary.
Do not tip friendly government employees or business people as they may interpret your generosity as a bribe.

In 1957, China Export Commodities Fair (Spring Fair and Autumn Fair) has been hosted here, which received great attendance and enjoyed high reputation both at home and abroad. Worldwide brand-name commodities in complete categories can be found. Fashionable dresses, jewelry, watches, cosmetics, computer and electronic goods, photographing apparatus, sports goods, stationery, fashionable playthings, curios, arts and crafts, medicines and herbs, sea products and other endless goods can meet visitors’ different demands.

Local Products you can’t miss

DON’T forget to buy some local products such as the Wanglaoji Herbal Tea, cooking materials, Canton Embroidery, Canton Embroidery, Canton Enamel and Canton Sculpture.
1. Canton Sculpture includes Canton Ivory Carvings, Jade Sculpture, Wood sculpture and Olive Sculpture
2. Canton Enamel, Celadon are short for Guangzhou Colorful pottery. It has a history of over 300 years.
3. Canton Embroidery, namely Yue Embroidery, is one of the Four Famous Chinese Embroidery and Shu Embroidery.
4. Canton Bacon is the general designation of cured meat in the Guangzhou Area.
6.Wang Laoji Herbal Tea is a king of medicine that is healthy for the human body

Guangzhou Tour

Shopping Malls & Plazas

Teem Plaza
10am – 10pm 208 Tianhe Lu 8559 0683
Carrefour
1-2B, Everbright City Plaza, 656, Kangwang Zhong Lu 8133 7619
Carrefour
Blossom Plaza, No. 1339 Jichang Lu, Baiyun District 3663 7188
Carrefour
2-3F Wanguo Plaza, 40, Qianjin Lu 8426 2633
China Plaza
10am – 10pm 33 Zhongshan San Lu 8373 9099
CITIC Plaza
233 Tianhe Bei Lu 8752 0300
Jusco
10am – 10pm Basement, Teem Plaza, 208 Tianhe Lu 8559 2238
La Perle
10am – 10pm 367 Huanshi Dong Lu 8350 8502
Times Square
10.30am – 9.30pm 28 Tianhe Bei Lu 3882 0000, 3882 0628
Update Mall
10am – 9.30pm 25-27 Zhongshan San Lu 8380 1499

Accessories

Bin Bin Plaza
1 Qiyi Lu, Haizhu Square 8328 0802
Daily 10am-9.30pm.
Carrefour
3 Henglong Jie, Huangpu Da Dao 8564 8472
Basic Gallery
9am – 8pm 3/F, China Plaza, 23 Zhongshan San Lu 8373 8823
Cang Jing Ge
Shop 3410, 3/F China Plaza, 23 Zhongshan San Lu 8373 9621
Daily 10am-10pm. No cards.
Chou Niu
10am – 10pm 163 Zhuji Lu, Liwan District 8195 3676
No cards

Antiques and others

Guangzhou Antiques Store
Wende Bei Lu 8334 9901
Da Sha Tou Flea Market
9am – 6pm Yanjiang Dong Lu, Da Sha Tou, by the Haiyin Bridge 8384 5642
Guangzhou Automobile Exchange Center
8.30am – 6pm 163 Tianhe Bei Lu 8755 5507
Highsun Electric Appliances Market
9.30am – 6.30pm 56-58 Donghu Lu 8379 5897
Highsun String and Cloth Market
9.30am – 7pm 1-3/F, Haiyin Bldg, 429 Yanjiang Dong Lu 8379 6572
Huadi Wan Flowers, Birds, Fish Market
Huadi Da Dao Bei, Fangcun District 8152 9230, 8152 9296
Huanan Watches Wholesale Market
Back Tower, 145 Zhan Xi Lu 8667 6147

Book Store

Guangzhou Books Center
9.30am – 9.30pm 123 Tianhe Lu 3886 4208, 3886 9768
Guangzhou Bookstore of Foreign Languages
111 Hequn Yi Ma Lu . 8379 7198
Daily 9am-4.30pm.
Guangzhou Xinhua Bookstore
276 Beijing Lu 8333 2636
Daily 9am-8pm. Local cards.
Joint Publishing co.
1) G17 basement of Peace World Plaza, 362-366 Huanshi Dong Lu ; 2) 3/F Guangzhou Books Center123 Tianhe Lu 8387 2393/3881 3074
Life Attitude
9am – 5pm Basement of Guangdong Museum of Art, 38 Yanyu Lu 8735 1161
No cards.
Tang Ning Bookstore
10am – 10pm G/F, 37 Huale Lu 8385 5749
All cards.

1. What to buy

Popular things to buy here are carpets, daggers, jewelry, aprons and hats, all of which can be found in the famous Barkhor Street. The vendors on the street outside the Holiday Inn have basically the same range, but in smaller quantities and at higher prices. Besides this, plenty of department stores line the Yuthok Lu, selling more routine articles. Those interested with Chinese herbal medicines also have the chance here to pick up some potions rarely seen in other Chinese cities.

- Dagger

Tibetan daggers are seen as indispensable part of the ordinary Tibetan’s basic paraphernalia. Not just used as a tool for cutting meat and protecting themselves, the dagger is also a critical fashion accessory. This is especially true of daggers that may be carried by Tibetan women. These tend to be more decorative and delicate. Based on the materials used and the level of craftsmanship in the making of the dagger, prices can range from a few RMB to several thousand. Actually, daggers from Shigatse are particularly famous and are characterized by hard to imitate intricately designed silver sheaths.

- Jewelry

There are numerous varieties of jewelry and ornaments in Tibet, including pearl, agate, jade containers and golden-silver products, etc. Generally, it is more graceful in ancient style. You could get them in some used-goods market of Barkhor Square or some special shops for tourists. They have all the decorations you could wish for, which can be pulled on the neck, adorned the wrist, hung on the ears, or some daggers embellished the waist, and all of them are exquisite and decorative; while for those ornaments bigger than others, you could hang them in your rooms or some public locations, thus it would bring you a kind of special environment.

2.Where to Buy

- Shopping in Lhasa

Barkhor is the best shopping market in Lhasa. Tourist can find lots of odd and fascinating stuff, for religious and secular uses. Small shops and stalls on the street sell a variety of items like prayers flags, Buddha figures, conch-shell trumpets, rosaries, amulets, fur hats, horse bells, bridles, copper teapots, wooden bowl, inlaid knives and jewelry inlaid with turquoise and other gems. However, attention shall be paid to the quality of the jewelry since many items are coarse. Exotic Tibetan opera masks and costumes are interesting items to buy. Bright and beautiful homespun Tibetan rugs and Tibetan khaddar are also popular souvenirs. Tourists can easily find things which are of individuality and appeal to them. The most interesting thing to shop in Barkhor is that you can bargain with local people and may buy nice things in a lower price. Just cut the price by 50 percent!

Shopping along the street accompanied by hundreds of pilgrims prostrating will be a thrilling experience. Tibet carpet and tent can be bought at Lhasa Carpet Factory and Lhasa Tent and Banner Factory respectively.

Department stores, mostly on Yuthok Lu and for everyday requirement, are becoming usual in Lhasa. Lhasa Department Store (General Department Store), on the west end of Yuthok Lu, is the largest and famous one in Lhasa. It sells handicrafts as well as practical items, such as cotton clothing, mugs, canned food, towels and toothpaste and other stuff tourist may need to buy before they move to other remote towns. Supermarkets can also be found in Lhasa.

There are three Xinhua book stores in Lhasa, one on Yuthok Lu, another on east Barkhor and the other on Beijing Zhong Lu, west of Tibet Hotel. They sell maps of Lhasa, Tibetan primers, Tibetan-Chinese dictionaries, and Chinese and Tibetan books. A bookshop carrying Tibetan literature is on north Barkhor.

- Shopping in Shigatse
The best place to go shopping in Shigatse is the market opposite the Tenzin Hotel. There is the usual array of jewelry, antiques and religious objects on display here. However, the market is much smaller than the one in the Barkhor in Lhasa. What is the same here are the shrewd vendors hanging around, hunting for potential buyers. So be prepared to bargain!!

An alternative is to go to the Tibet Gang-Gyen Carpet Factory on Qomolangma Lu, several minutes’ walk from the entrance of Tashilunpo (open weekdays). Here, you will be given the chance to see how carpets are made. Of course, the real reason tourists are allowed in here, is to be encouraged to buy something! Prices range from between RMB200 to RMB3000. The factory even arranges shipping!

(via TibetTour)